Zusammenfassung:
At a time when European science and innovation policy is seeking to better support research talent in navigating increasingly diverse post-PhD careers, we suggest that skill requirements vary substantially across employment sectors. We examine PhD holders' self-perceived transferable skills to identify the distinct skill profiles that characterise career paths in academic, non-academic and inter-sectoral settings. Building on a survey of PhD holders in Europe, we find that while research, commercialisation, and communication skills are perceived as more relevant for those working in academia, cognitive and managerial skills dominate in private sector careers. In addition, skill requirements of inter-sectoral careers emerge between the academic and non-academic sector with managerial, research and commercialisation skills considered relevant, independently of whether the combination of sectors is sequential (mixed careers) or simultaneous (hybrid careers). These findings have important implications for the design and development of doctoral education policies and programmes, as well as of policies targeting inter-sectoral mobility and the employment and attraction of research talent.